Is Dishwasher Worth Buying? – 9 Reasons to Own it

Is Dishwasher Worth Buying? Dishwasher Advantages and Disadvantages. Why Do You Need a Dishwasher? – 9 Important Reasons to buy a Dishwasher: It is uncommon that a dishwasher is the first item on a person’s list of things they must have. Furthermore, many homemakers believe that washing dishes by hand saves time and money.

What is the Purpose of a Dishwasher?

The primary purpose of a dishwasher is to clean dirty dishes. It uses water and detergent to get dishes clean, with varying levels of heat, cycle times, and types of cleaning spray depending on the model. Additionally, some dishwashers also have a sanitizing option that can help kill germs and bacteria on your dishes. Dishwashers are fantastic for saving time and energy when it comes to cleaning up after meals!

What Are the Benefits of a Dishwasher?

Oddly enough, a dishwasher saves you money as well. According to studies, the consumption of water and electricity when using a dishwasher is much lower than when washing by hand. In addition, if the dishes are not very dirty, you can select the quick wash mode and save even more.

Who Needs a Dishwasher?

Anyone who wants to save time and energy in their daily kitchen chores needs a dishwasher. While it certainly isn’t a necessity for everyone, it can help streamline washing up after meals. A dishwasher is especially useful for households with lots of people, as the number of dishes used can pile up quickly.

For those who want to make their kitchen tasks easier or want to save on water bills, a dishwasher may be the way to go.

Is Dishwasher Worth Buying?

Absolutely! Dishwashers are incredibly convenient, and they save you a ton of time and effort. Plus, they can help reduce your water consumption and lower your monthly energy bills. Not to mention, they also help keep your kitchen looking and feeling clean! So buying a dishwasher is worth it if you’re in the market for a new appliance.

9 Reasons for Why Should You Buy a Dishwasher

Let’s take a look at the dishwasher advantages and disadvantages.

1. Speed

Dishwashers, on average, spend more time cleaning dishes than even the most “thoughtful” hosts. However, the individual’s time expense is minimal. Loading and unloading the dishes will take no more than 10 minutes.

It is also important to consider the time it takes to rinse dishes before putting them into the dishwasher. And the machine will perform all subsequent operations on its own. You need to select the program and press the “START” button.

And is it important to know how quickly clean dishes will be in the cabinet? Probably, this is important only if there are not enough dishes for the next change of dishes, and you urgently need to rinse the plates before serving them to guests. And in everyday life, the dishes used in the morning may not be needed until the evening or even until the next morning.

2. Wash Quality

It is generally recognized that the Quality of washing in a dishwasher is, on average, much higher than the Quality of hand washing. It is due to some factors.

Firstly, with a standard washing cycle, the water in the dishwasher heats up to 60-70 degrees, ensuring a fairly high quality of washing. Hand washing usually occurs at a temperature not exceeding 40 degrees.

Secondly, machine washing usually uses highly active detergents, which cannot be used with hand washing, as it is harmful to the skin.

In addition, most modern dishwashers automatically adjust the washing process. The degree of cleanliness of dishes is determined automatically by the machine using special sensors based on the level of water contamination. The temperature can be automatically adjusted within certain limits (for example, with standard programs – from 50° to 65°). Water and detergent consumption is also controlled, reducing or lengthening certain program cycles.

Suppose the feast has dragged on and a certain amount of dishes have accumulated that requires thorough washing. In that case, you can then try a prewash program designed specifically for these dishes, often done at 50-60 degrees Celsius for 30-40 minutes.

Depending on the design of the detergent dispenser from different manufacturers, it is recommended that if the prewash cycle is selected, pour more detergent into the same tray as for normal washing (e.g., AEG models) or use an additional compartment for the detergent dispenser (e.g., in Electrolux and Whirlpool models).

In many dishwashers (for example, some Bosch, Siemens, Gaggenau, and Miele models), using additional keys, you can pre-rinse the dishes with warm water (30–40 degrees) or pre-soak them (Whirlpool, Electrolux, Ariston, Indesit, and Gorenje models) in cold or warm water. On average, these cycles last for around 20 to 35 minutes.

The prewash, rinse and soak programs allow you to effectively clean dishes with a further minimum water and energy consumption. After these programs are completed, you can add other, less soiled sets to these dishes and set the program for standard, economical or intensive washing.

3. Operating Economy

Washing dishes in the dishwasher saves a lot of water. So, for twelve sets of dishes and cutlery, an average of 14–18 liters of water will be needed, while with manual washing, the daily water consumption is about 60 liters. According to studies, a dishwasher saves around 7800 liters of water annually.

Even if this is not so important for your family budget, do not forget about the environmental significance of this problem. With all the wealth and large reserves of fresh water, we are still inhabitants of the planet, and it is worth spending the resources donated by generous nature economically.

At the same time, it should be noted that the consumption of electricity when using a dishwasher, of course, increases. However, the share of the dishwasher in the overall scale of electricity consumption in the kitchen is very small.

4. Effective washing of heavily soiled dishes

Even those housewives who advocate the benefits of hand washing are unlikely to take great pleasure in cleaning baking sheets, pans and pots. This duty is dirty and unpleasant. Almost all dishwashers can operate in intensive washing mode (with an increase in water temperature up to 65-70 degrees). Special nozzles and ways to enhance the water jets falling on the dishes achieve the optimal washing effect.

Some manufacturers offer a special nozzle for washing baking sheets in the kit, which is located inside the machine instead of the top basket. In addition to trays, you can also wash grates, hood filters, trays and other large items.

With an intensive washing cycle, even the soot from the outside of the pan, which seemed, could not be reduced by anything, was partially, and sometimes completely, washed off. And to the touch pans and baking sheets, when you take them out of the dishwasher, it is much more pleasant – there is no fat at all, and the remnants of soot are shaken off with an ordinary cloth.

5. Crystal and glass

After rinsing under running warm water, the proper way of washing glasses is to place them on a towel upside down and do not touch them until they are completely dry.

Only in this case, the absence of fingerprints and other stains on dry glasses that violate their transparency is guaranteed. The efficiency of washing this type of glass cookware in the dishwasher is much higher – the glasses, after washing, really shine with cleanliness and transparency.

An additional advantage is that during all this time (two to three hours), the working surface of the table is free, not occupied by drying glasses, the number of which guests from 10 people can reach thirty pieces after receiving guests.

By the way, the bottles installed with their neck down are perfectly washed in the dishwasher: a rotating water spray ensures the penetration of elastic jets of detergent into the interior. The only inconvenience is that paper labels are washed off, but it is very difficult to wash a narrow bottle by hand.

But not all dishwashers have a special “delicate” wash cycle (sometimes called “glass” or “crystal”). In this case, machine washing fragile dishes is almost impossible. In no case should this type of dish be subjected to intensive washing, together with baking trays and pots!

Therefore, after large dinners, it is often necessary to run the dishwasher twice: the first time with fragile dishes and, for example, plates, and the second time with heavily soiled dishes, including baking sheets, pots and pans.

6. Drying

After washing by hand, the dishes are usually set to dry, and when it comes to large quantities (for example, after receiving guests), it takes time to wipe them and put them in the cupboard.

Usually, this job (washing and drying) is a great time for calm, unhurried conversations between the hostess and relatives or guests left to help with the housework, and there are certain pleasant moments in this. But maybe it’s much better to spend this time with a cup of tea, leaving the dishwasher to work. You decide.

7. Additional Costs

Of course, purchasing special detergents is an additional expenditure item in the budget. However, you should note that manual washing is rarely done without a special agent, and its consumption when washing under a tap is, on average, much higher than in a dishwasher.

The hardness of the water determines the amount of detergent needed in the location where the dishwasher is used. On average, 1 kg of powder is enough for 70-90 washing cycles, but this indicator strongly depends on the selected washing intensity (program), washing duration and other parameters.

The average consumption of detergent tablets is one tablet for every 20 liters of volume. If the water is exceedingly hard, the initial quantity can be increased by one tablet. Standard packaging, as a rule, contains 60 tablets of 20 ml each.

Most dishwasher manufacturers recommend using a liquid rinse solution to remove detergent residue from dishes and give them a shiny finish. Usually, in addition to some chemical components that are safe for dishes, it also contains citric acid and sometimes flavoring.

It would be best to replenish your dishwasher with salt before using it because tap water has a very high hardness level. Most dishwashers have containers that can hold between 1-2 kilograms of regenerate salt.  Upon completion, the “add salt” indicator on the control panel will also light up.

8. Harmful effects on the hands

It is unlikely that anyone will object to the fact that daily washing of a large number of dishes cannot but harm the nails and skin on the hands. You should also consider that water from the tap is different from a mountain lake. It is chlorinated, contains many unhealthy substances, and is sometimes harmful to the skin.

It is not for nothing that we, washing in the shower, use special gels and mousses. Using a dishwasher, you take care of yourself, your health and your beauty. After all, beautiful, well-groomed hands are one of the main components of a woman’s charm.

9. Inefficiency for small families

Often in conversations and on forums, there is such an argument against a dishwasher: “I live alone (one)” or “there are only two of us,” so what about saving dishes for a week so as not to waste water and electricity? There are objections to this argument.

First, about half of all dishwashers on the market today can operate in half-load mode. The machine will use only one (usually the top) basket for washing, consuming half the water, detergent and electricity. The number of dishes used for breakfast and dinner by even one person is just enough to fully load one basket (including, for example, one frying pan or saucepan).

Secondly, many machines have quick wash (1 Hour) programs. The cycle time in this case rarely exceeds 30 minutes, but during this time, the machine has time to rinse the dishes thoroughly, and you will have time to set the table for tea or coffee.

It is typically one of the most cost-effective tools. The device, during operation, consumes the least amount of water and electricity. Some manufacturers give the quick wash program catchy names (After Meal Cycle), which reveal the meaning of the program: it is recommended to use it for “freshly soiled” dishes.

Thirdly, you can purchase a desktop dishwasher for 4- sets and no larger than a microwave oven (45x55x45 cm). However, it should be taken into account that such a dishwasher, in terms of 1 set of dishes, consumes water and electricity less economically, and the Quality of washing in it, judging by the reviews of some experts, is worse than in standard dishwashers. Desktop dishwashers are often used as utility ones you can take to the country; single persons often purchase them.

Is a Dishwasher a Luxury Item?

All of the above has already convinced you that the dishwasher has much more pluses than minuses. In addition, in many families, the notorious question “Who is washing the dishes today?” can spoil a pleasant evening, right? And the absence of negative emotions is much more expensive than any monetary cost.

In addition, now you can purchase a decent dishwasher for $400– $600, and if you focus on a greater variety of programs (more than 10 person or a dishwasher for large family) and additional functions, then dishwasher for $1000.

So, after weighing all the pros and cons, we can confidently say it’s worth buying a dishwasher. After all, this does not oblige you to use this unit constantly. Having a choice and several ways to achieve what you want is a component of life comfort.

For example, if you have a car, you don’t always use it – if there are big traffic jams ahead and you need to get to work faster, you can park and go down to the subway, right?

Is It Better to Wash Dishes by Hand or in a Dishwasher?

It really depends on the situation! For instance, if you regularly make large meals and generate a lot of dishes that would take a long time to wash by hand, then a dishwasher is often more efficient. However, if you’re washing only one or two items by hand, it might be quicker and easier. We have discussed about it earlier. You can see it here. (Is Dishwasher Better Than Hand Washing?)

So when deciding on the best method for washing your dishes, it’s important to consider factors such as how many dishes are being washed and how much time you have available.

Where Can You Put a Dishwasher?

A dishwasher can be installed almost anywhere in your kitchen. The ideal location for a dishwasher is close to a sink and near an existing water line, but it can also be placed underneath your countertop or even alongside the refrigerator.

It is not recommended to place the dishwasher in the last drawer of the furniture set, and it is better to firmly fix the machine between two adjacent cabinets. The dishwasher must not be installed under the hob. It is forbidden to install PMM close to the oven.

Remember that the closer the dishwasher is to the sink, the easier it will be to fill and empty the appliance. Additionally, you may need to install additional piping in order to get your washing machine up and running properly.

Can Pots and Pans Be Washed in the Dishwasher?

Yes, many pots and pans can be washed in the dishwasher. It is important to check care labels on individual items to make sure they are safe to wash in the machine, as some may require hand-washing or other special attention.

Generally, ceramic and non-stick surfaces should not be put in the dishwasher. Additionally, aluminum or copper cookware will discolor if put in a dishwasher with harsh detergent. So for these types of materials, consider hand-washing instead.

What Can Not Go?

It is important to take caution when putting items into the dishwasher as certain items are not meant to go in or can be easily damaged. Here are a few items that you should avoid putting in the dishwasher:

1. Hand-painted dishes, glassware, and ceramics – these should all be washed by hand instead to prevent damage.
2. Non-Stick Cookware – the non-stick coating on these pans can easily be scratched in a dishwasher.
3. Wooden kitchen utensils and cutting boards – wood has natural oils that will be damaged by the hot water and soap used in the dishwasher.
4. Stainless steel knives and other sharp objects – these should be washed by hand instead of risking damage from them clanking against other items or getting dulled from heat exposure.

Final Verdict

So with the dishwasher: using it after receiving guests or a gala dinner with the family, you will save time and effort, and after breakfast together, it will be much more convenient to rinse cups and plates under running water. And let everything in life be given to you just as easily and pleasantly.

The dishwasher is designed to do housework, not FASTER us, but INSTEAD OF us. It is estimated that a dishwasher saves money per year in a family of 4-members compared to manual washing.